Hi everyone, I haven't posted here for a long time. I'm having a MAJOR pizza craving. I want to have pizza, good pizza, but I don't want to blow my diet. If I get take-out pizza (a couple of slices), I have no idea how to count the points. If I buy a frozen pizza, I can count the points, but in all honesty, I'd probably eat the whole pizza by myself. Embarrassingly but that's what I used to do before I started on WW. Maybe not in one sitting, but I'd definitely polish off the whole thing. Pizza is a weakness for me, it's my favourite food. Does anybody have any suggestions on how I can satisfy my craving, yet not go crazy with the points I consume?
Well, you can either guesstimate the points for a slice from a take-out place, or you can make your own, reasonably. There are tons of kinds of pizza listed in the Dining Out companion; for example, I had Papa John's the other night and a slice of "The Works" is 7 points.
My favorite healthy way to satisfy a pizza craving is to make a pita pizza -- basically rub a pita down with either a tomato sauce or oil and garlic and top with pre-roasted veggies or meat or whatever you want, then top with cheese and basil. It depends what you like about pizza -- its greasiness or its combination of ingredients.
Maybe you could also try a Lean Pocket thing, they have pizza flavors and I guess they aren't too bad for you? I don't really know as I don't eat the things, but maybe that's an option.
I see you're up here in Canada with me - any chance you have a Zehrs or Loblaws nearby? They do a Blue Menu Healthy frozen pizza selection that REALLY kicks my pizza-loving-cravings! They do a chicken and red pepper, and a veggie one on whole wheat. The chicken one is fab - and sometimes I'll add a measured portion of shredded skim mozzarella, too! Without the extra cheese (add 90 cal) you COULD eat the whole thing - the chicken pizza has 250 cals per half! (I sometimes will eat the whole thing, if that's all I'm having - but it's very filling!
From one pizza queen to another - have a look for healthy alternatives; a slice of take-out has WAY too much fat and sodium for me!
Last edited by HeatherAngel; 01-20-2008 at 09:57 PM.
I'm from Canada as well, but I have never been shopping for WW food there, as I live in England most of the year. Maybe check out the freezer department of Safeway or Co-Op, etc, because here in the UK WW has frozen oval pizzas with the points calculated for you. If you're going to get take-out, a small slice of pepperoni pizza is 5 points I think, depending on the place you get it from, so as long as you don't overdo it and maybe even throw out the rest or take it around to a friend's or neighbours, you'll be okay and you can still feed your craving!
I agree with suitejudy too - a pita or tortilla pizza is a great idea! And they're yuuuummmy!
Here is my answer to Pizza. I love pizza too. Here is my version of pizza which is really good and I have it a couple times a week. Not sure if the you can get Flatouts wraps in Canada, but here is the website: www.flatoutbread.com if you want to take a look.
1 point ~ 1 Light Flatout Wrap (Italian Herb, Sundried Tomato or Original)
0 point ~ 1/2 c of tomato sauce (add your own seasoning)
1 point ~ 1 oz of Fat Free Shreaded Cheese
or
2 or 3 point ~ 1 oz of Mozzerella Cheese
0 point ~ mushrooms, onions, peppers
Here is what I do:
I toast the Flatout until it's kind of hard, but not burnt. I precook the veggies in a microwave until soft and place them on a papertowel to remove moisture. I preheat the tomato sauce in the microwave.
Then, spray the toasted Flatout with cooking spray, place the dried veggies on the bottom, then place the sauce on top of that (not on the bottom because it will make it too soggy), sprinkle whatever spices/herbs I feel like. Then, place the cheese on top and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 3-5 minutes. Cut into 4 sections, and you have a huge pizza all for yourself, and you would only be using 3-4 points for this version.
You could add Turkey Pepperoni if you like it for additional points.
Use your imagination... That is what Flex is all about...
Can I just sidetrack for a minute and say how much I LOVE Flatout wraps? They are pretty much the most awesome things ever, imho.
Funny story -- I started freaking out (kind of) when I could no longer find them in the grocery store. I searched high and low and they were nowhere to be found. So I decide to order some direct from the supplier and.... the minimum order is 7 bags of wraps... AND you get 1 free for ordering... Wednesday I get this box delivered that's way bigger than I'd think was necessary and way heavier than I imagine 8 bags of wraps would be, but lo and behold, there they were.
So now half of my freezer is full of Flat out wraps, and I'm confident I won't run out anytime soon And I can once again sleep easy at night!
We do have Flatout wraps in Canada. They are so delicious! I've used them to make pizzas as well... with such delicious flavours (for a wrap) they are way better for pizzas than normal ones!
I love pizza, too! And every friday night it's family pizza and game night at my house. Kashi pizzas are 18 points for the whole thing (I eat half of it) and I love those pizzas. Also, most places like Pizza Hut or Papa Johns offers up the nutritional info online, so you can always calculate out the points that way.
Had the lean pocket pizza thing, it was pretty good, but worked out to 6 pts. for the 4 cheese version. I was thinking that's not very lean, I wonder how many for a regular one!! DH and I split the package (1 each) and each had a bowl of soup, so it was about a 10 pts. supper, not bad.
Thanks for all the replies. I've never seen Flatout Wraps or Kashi pizza where I live. I'll have to try the pita version, my sister suggested that too. However; I did try the Blue Menu Healthy Chicken and Red Pepper pizza from Loblaws that Heatherangel suggested. It was FANTASTIC!!! I really loved it. I know I'll buy it again.
I made a Boboli pizza tonight! The Boboli crust is kinda high in points (6 points for the crust), and then I put skim mozzarella and a tiny bit of cheddar (very sparingly...so I counted 4 points for the cheese) and then I LOADED it with veggies...SO filling...TONS of mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, olives and garlic....10 points for a pretty big piece that was filling
and you can put WHATEVER you want...pretty cheap in price too
I have a whole wheat crust I brought from Trader Joe's in the pantry as well as a whole wheat dough from Trader Joe's in the freezer. I'm not sure if you have Trader Joe's up there though? I've never tried flat out wraps but they sound good.
I actually go to a pizza place here that is fairly healthy (nonfat crust, nonfat sauce) and I order a veggie pizza without cheese. It is good and satisfies my pizza craving. I also bought Amy's cheeseless pizza in the grocery store and it is pretty good too. Amy's has cheese and cheeseless pizzas personal sized and "family" sized (although the family size isn't very big). Maybe check your grocery for something like that?
Thanks for this thread! I did not know about Flat Out OR Kashi Pizza! Looked both up online to find a store near me and went and bought some last night! YUM and I am excited!
I like the TJ's pizza dough too, ready to go and you can make just like you like it, thin or thick, cheese or no cheese. But sometimes a frozen one is great when I am tired and don't feel like cooking. I do usually spice it up and add extra veggies even to the frozen kind.
Pizza
And I can once again sleep easy at night!
